Wetland Functioning in a Changing World: Implications for Natural Resources Management

Abstract

Wetland ecosystems are a natural resource of global significance.Historically, their high level of plant and animal (especially bird) diversity is perhaps the major reason why wetland protection has become a high priority worldwide, supported by international agreements, such as the Ramsar Convention and the International Convention of Biological Diversity (Fig. 1.1).More recently, a number of goods and services provided specifically by wetland ecosystems have been identified that may even outweigh biodiversity in terms of their importance for human welfare and sustainable natural resource management worldwide.Wetlands, as transitional zones between land and water, provide a natural protection against extreme floods and storm surges. They may also store freshwater to be used for drinking-water preparation or for irrigation. Wetlands bordering streams, rivers and lakes have a water quality enhancement function that is increasingly recognized. As natural habitats for fish, riverine wetlands, shallow lakes and coastal wetlands have the potential to produce large fish stocks,which are exploited commercially in some regions but could be enhanced by restoring wetlands in degraded areas.Because wetlands often provide spawning habitats, their importance as a source of juvenile fish for large aquatic lakes and river channels should not be underestimated. In addition to these local and regional benefits, wetlands as a global resource provide a net sink of carbon dioxide. The world’s peatlands are the only type of terrestrial ecosystem with a long-term net carbon storage function.However,the large amounts of carbon that have accumulated historically in peatlands may be released as a result of drainage or excavation. (...)